Judy Michaud, Transglobal Business Group Inc., Nanaimo

Judy Michaud has been in her business, Transglobal Business Group Inc., for over 21 years. Transglobal Business Group Inc. offers custom designed education programs for youth and adults in Indigenous communities and support for business owners. Transglobal Business Group is a home for people doing remarkable things in their communities through education.

Prior to starting a business, Judy spent 18 years working for Telus. She then transitioned to 9 years as a financial planner, before she made the leap into entrepreneurship.

Judy started her entrepreneurial journey when she was asked to write a book for training on basic finance. She then continued on to design 20 hours of curriculum for in-class training, and delivered this training to a group of 16 students. Before the class ended, Judy was booked to do another one. Judy fell in love with the students and teaching and moved from being a financial planner to a full-time instructor.

From there, Judy went on to develop Success in Employment and Business; a 120-hour program. Over the years, clients have continuously asked her to develop and deliver all kinds of programs, both in-class and online. Through her program “Projects that get Funded Master Class Program,” paired with her consulting services for raising money for community projects of all kinds, Judy has brought in over $18 million in funding to date.

Mentor Q&A

Q. What’s the biggest lesson you have learned while being in business for yourself?

A. Find out what your customers want and give it to them. To stay focused, plan ahead, and don’t be afraid to fail forward. Helping others is the name of the game.

Q. Do you have any advice for other women who are following in your path?

A. Never give up, get help. Ask for advice. Don’t be afraid to reach out and find the support you need when you need it. Build a team of people around you that can help you when you need it. Don’t wait when times get tough. We all go through embarrassing times as Entrepreneurs, tough stuff. Reach out.

Q. Has a mentor ever made an impact on you or your business?

A. I have had a few business coaches/mentors over the years who always believed in what I was doing and were my best cheering squad.

This helped me to keep going when things got tough and pivoting my business needed to happen fast. Going through transition and change was so much easier with a coach/mentor on my side.

Q. Why do you want to volunteer your time as a mentor?

A. I understand the value of having someone you can rely on to help with the difficult problems. Someone who understands the ups and downs of business and will help you get through the mud and not stay stuck. Over the years I was blessed with support and it’s my turn to give that back to someone else.